A major engineering milestone has been completed on the HS2 programme with the successful launch of a 130-metre steel viaduct across the Grand Union Canal near Ufton in Warwickshire. The 1.5-mile stretch of canal has now reopened to the public seven days ahead of schedule after engineers successfully slid the Read more…
Construction progress at Birmingham Curzon Street railway station has reached an important milestone, with engineers completing the final concrete pile that will support the station’s foundations. In total, 2,011 piles – each between six and 24 metres deep – have been installed to form the foundations for the new seven-platform Read more…
The High Speed Rail Group warmly welcomes the Government’s announcement of its long-term intention to build a new railway line from Birmingham to Manchester, connecting to HS2 which will run from London to Birmingham. This new line is essential if we are to avoid locking in Britain’s biggest bottleneck to Read more…
The boring machine being used to dig HS2’s Birmingham approach tunnels has broken through, marking the completion of major tunnel excavation between London’s Old Oak Common and the West Midlands — a significant step forward for the UK’s most ambitious rail infrastructure project. The 125-metre-long tunnel boring machine (TBM), Elizabeth Read more…
The High Speed Rail Group is delighted to announce the appointment of former Rail Minister and Chair of the Transport Select Committee, Huw Merriman, as our Non-Executive Chair. Huw served as Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle constituency from 2015 to 2024, and was Minister of State for Rail, HS2 Read more…
One of the lasting misconceptions about HS2 is why it was proposed in the first place. Many still believe it was all about cutting journey times, a bonus, yes, but never the primary goal. Others rightly highlight the aim to better connect the North and South of the UK – Read more…
Fifteen years on from its launch by Government, but still some way from completion, HS2 remains in the public eye. As this new book by first time author Sally Gimson shows, there is enough intrigue and political shenanigans to make Off the Rails – the Inside Story of HS2 a Read more…
HS2 has completed a landmark river re-naturalisation project in Warwickshire, delivering the most significant natural river realignment on the programme to date. At 749 metres in length, the realignment of the River Cole near Coleshill represents a major environmental achievement alongside the delivery of new rail infrastructure. The project has Read more…
A specialist HS2 engineering team is preparing to move a 112m long, 1,631 tonne steel structure over a section of Lawley Middleway – part of Birmingham’s ring road in August. Rather than building the bridge in situ, disruption to road users has been drastically reduced by constructing the steel span Read more…
HS2 has reached another significant construction milestone with the installation of the first high-speed rail platform at Old Oak Common station in West London. This marks the first platform completed anywhere on Britain’s new high-speed railway and provides a visible glimpse of what future passengers can expect. The new platforms Read more…